aking a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Samajwadi Party leader Mohammad Azam Khan said the proposed statue of Lord Ram in Ayodhya should be taller than the statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel — the Statue of Unity — unveiled by the PM in Gujarat on October 31.
Azam Khan said this following the announcement made by the State Government regarding construction of a 151-metre tall statue of Lord Ram in Ayodhya. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will formally lay the foundation stone of the project on November 6.
‘’Lord Ram’s statue, which is likely to be erected on the banks of river Saryu in the temple town, should be constructed taller than the recently-unveiled 182-metre statue of Sardar Vallabhai Patel,” Khan said while talking to reporters in his home town, Rampur, on Sunday.
“Why did this thought not come at the time of constructing the statue of Sardar Patel? Why would anybody oppose (the construction of Lord Ram’s statue)? I would want an even taller statue of Lord Ram in Rampur,” the SP leader added.
According to UP government sources, a formal announcement in this regard is likely to be made during the Diwali celebrations next week when the Chief Minister will be in Ayodhya.
However, the religious leaders of Ayodhya are divided over the issue of Lord Ram’s statue at Ayodhya. A section of saints has demanded the construction of a statue of Lord Ram similar to that of the Statue of Unity while the other section is opposed to the idea.
This section says, “It will be disrespect to Lord Ram as ‘bird droppings’ will defile the statue.”